Kristine, the Gym and the Wedding

Looking back…

Pilgrim on a Long, Long Journey

When I met my wife, 43 years ago, I learned that she’d been doing aerobics since she was a competitive swimmer at eight years of age. Had I not been willing to run the circular track at a nearby high school with her at frequent intervals, there would have been no more dates and I would have never known my wonderful children and grandchildren. She is still in better shape than I am aerobically, despite my many hours at the gym in the 43 years.

My late mother’s question when she saw Kristine dancing at our wedding was, “Can you keep up with her?” To which, I said, “No.”

Then 37 years later we applied for Kristine’s Social Security for which we needed a certified copy of our marriage license. My thought, Sure hope we got one. We had per the folks in Maryland. They dutifully sent us a certified…

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A Meal to Remember

A wonderful memory…

Pilgrim on a Long, Long Journey

It was a cool, March evening in 1977. Likely to testify as a Maryland State Medical Examiner at a courthouse, I was dressed in my best suit, a green woolen.

There was a new, beautiful, talented woman in my life, Kristine. She was an art student. Following several dinner dates out, Kris had invited me for dinner at her place. She bought scallops at Lexington Market in Baltimore, a market birthed during the era of the American Revolution in 1782. She also purchased some fresh greens for a salad there.

I arrived at her apartment. I sat down for dinner.

Looking at the table was like seeing one of her works of art. The greens, off-whites and grays were beautifully composed. Unbeknownst to Kris, to that point, I had never enjoyed scallops. But this time given they were fresh from an extraordinary marketplace and cooked to perfection, I loved the…

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“Bearing the Cross” by David K Garrow, a Definitive Biography of MLK, A Book Review

A definitive, beautifully written work on Martin Luther King, Jr…

Pilgrim on a Long, Long Journey

Dr. Garrow has been in his distinguished scholarly career a professor of law and history. He won the Pulitzer Prize for this work in 1987.

Dr. Garrow digs deeply into Dr. King’s story. He mentions interaction and events one rarely hears about. The scholar covers the problems MLK had with some of the students he worked with as well as his colleagues. He touches on how Dr. King in a sense backed into this leadership position having just accepted a pastorship in Alabama.

The most stirring part of the biography covers his “dark night of the soul.” At that time the price of this leadership to Dr. King as well as his family hit him squarely. He made the courageous decision to proceed whatever the costs. Dr. King trusted the Lord had given him this mission.

His remarkable ability to negotiate, a gift from God, comes home when he deals…

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